I first read The Hunter by “Richard Stark” in the early 1970s. It was a story of vengeance that really gripped me. as I read more about the professional thief, Parker, that “Richard Stark” created, I eventually learned that “Richard Stark” was actually Donald E. Westlake, the guy who wrote all those funny caper novels back in the 1960s. I would go on to read all the Parker novels Westlake wrote. And, back in 1990s, I met Donald E. Westlake when he gave a speech at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.
After the speech, Westlake agreed to sign books and I joined the line waiting my turn. When I approached Westlake with the books I brought, he shook his head in disbelief. I presented him CAMPUS DOLL–one of Westlake’s erotic novels from the 1960s–and COMFORT STATION, a rare paperback. As Westlake kindly signed the books, I asked him why he stopping writing Parker books. The last Parker book, Butcher’s Moon (1974), was 20 years in the past at the point I asked my question. Westlake answered sadly, “I just couldn’t write Parker novels anymore.”
But, surprisingly, Comeback (1997) brought Parker back to life for eight more books. I’d like to think my questioning the absence of Parker books might have stirred some creative juices in Westlake.
That brings us to the new CRITERION COLLECTION Blu-ray of Point Blank (1967), a movie based on The Hunter. While Point Blank has all the revenge energy of The Hunter, it does not follow Westlake’s novel. Lee Marvin–now called “Walker” instead of “Parker”–is double-crossed by his partner and wife after a heist. The rest of the movie is Walker’s quest to avenge his betrayal and to get his money back.
This CRITERION COLLECTION Blu-ray includes bonus material:
DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director John Boorman, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Audio commentary featuring Boorman and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh
- Interview with Boorman conducted by author Geoff Dyer
- New interview with critic Mark Harris
- New reflections on Point Blank by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch
- New program on the midcentury Los Angeles architecture featured in the film, with historian Alison Martino
- The Rock (1967), a short documentary on Alcatraz and the making of the film
- Interview with Marvin from a 1970 episode of The Dick Cavett Show
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by Dyer
Point Blank is a great film and this new release with bonus material offers plenty of entertainment! What do you think of Point Blank? GRADE: A
George, that was a nice story about your meeting Donald E. Westlake. I’ve barely read any Parker novels, and your post is a reminder that I should read more of them. Likewise, I’ve watched very few films starring Lee Marvin, an actor I have liked since The Dirty Dozen, and your mention of Point Blank is another reminder.
Prashant, welcome back! Like you, I’ve been a Lee Marvin fan since THE DIRTY DOZEN. Listening to Director John Boorman talk about how Lee Marvin approached his role in POINT BLANK was fascinating. I love these CRITERION COLLECTION versions of classic movies with all the bonus features!
Good book, good movie, but I must admit that I rarely watch the “extras” on the DCD, just the movie. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this one.
Jeff, I’ve been a fan of John Boorman’s work over the years and listening to him talking about making POINT BLANK (it was his first movie in color) was enthralling!
Liked it a lot, though the OCD of Walker does take its toll on him! It might be 20 years since I saw it, I think for the second time, on TCM…probably the first time on the Kaiser station in Bosto, WKBS 56, some Saturday in the early/mid ’70s.
Todd, I rarely watch movies on networks like TNT or TCM because they have a tendency to cut the movies.
TCM cuts films? That seems less likely (than TNT, anyway…and the odd film that finds its way onto a broadcast network would still need, from the FCC’s POV, to be cut films losing any “forbidden”-for-broadcast content. But aside from the CW, which runs as many made-for-tv movies as thatricals, the broadcast nets don’t run too many theatrical films of late…56 in Boston, particularly in the ’70s when Kaiser was hoping to become a full-fledged network, invested a Lot in movies…
Todd, TCM used to include some bonus interviews before/after classic films. That seems to have disappeared. Also, I’m getting impatient with commercials during movies as I get older…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvPzspJiDZs –Kaiser’s network promo film from 1968. (Henry Kaiser Industries, the cars, Hawaii Kai on Oahu, and this attempt at network-creation.)
Todd, thanks for the link!
TCM does limited commercials berwen films…
Todd, TNT does MASSIVE commercial breaks during films!
Or even between! And you’re quite welcome for the promo film. Here’s an archive clip from Kaiser’s DELLA. the Della Reese talk/variety show they produced for all the KBS stations and syndication/tentative network-building in 1969-70…apparently the first national series in the US of this sort to feature an African-American primary host (though Reese guesr-hosted among a very few others, on other similar series, including THE TONIGHT SHOW, and Hazel Scott had a pioneering network short-form music series on Dumont in the ’50s, without quite the variety/talk angle). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6W59aD1vkg
Indeed, but you can’t hold TNT’s sins against TCM’s near saintliness!
Della Reese’s TELEVISION ACADEMY interview–at about minute 32 minutes, her description of the DELLA series begins: https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/della-reese?chapter=1&clip=72254&full=true#full-interview
Here’s Frank Conniff, from MST3K and other projects, memorializng Ted Turner particularly for TCM:
Frank Conniff
@FrankConniff
·
May 6
We can easily do without CNN, but TCM is the greatest cable channel of all time. Rest In Peace, Ted Turner.
Todd, Ted Turner was a visionary!
For whatever reason, I tend to associate this in my mind with the 1964 THE KILLERS, also with Marvin and Angie Dickinson, which was Ronald Reagan’s last movie (playing a bad guy).
His character punches Dickinson’s at one point, as I recall.
Jeff, there’s no denying Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson have on-screen chemistry! John Boorman tells a funny story about Angie Dickinson calling herself “a bad lay.”
Glad to see Angie is still around at 94.
Jeff, Angie is best known for her police woman role, but she did some great work in the 1960s.
And let me give a shoutout for COMFORT STATION, which really deserves a re-release.
And, yeah, Lee Marvin was cool
Jerry, COMFORT STATION took me on a search for years and years until I finally found a copy in a St. Vincent de Paul Thrift store. Westlake signed it. I did read it (COMFORT STATION is not very good).
I enjoyed the Westlake books I read and enjoyed hearing him speak.
I agree with you about commercials which is why I record the vast majority of what I watch and speed through the commercials
Maggie, we DVR about 90% of what we watch and FAST-FORWARD through all the commercials. An hour program is about 20 minutes of commercials.
Indeed, one of the stellar movies of the late ’60s. Love the surrealistic scene where Walker busts into his ex-wife Lynne’s bedroom with his .38, thinking he’ll blast his double-crossing ex-partner Mal to hell, but Mal is long gone and he only winds up blowing holes into an empty mattress. And the one where he takes Michael Strong’s Stegman for a drive and batters the new convertible to junk against a concrete pillar. And the one where Carroll O’Connor’s Brewster sputters, “You’re a very bad man, Walker!” The other films made from the Parker books are MADE IN USA (1965), THE SPLIT (1968), THE OUTFIT (1973), SLAYGROUND (1983), PAYBACK (1999), PARKER (2013), PLAY DIRTY (2025– with Marky Mark–I still haven’t mustered the courage to see Wahlberg as Parker), and as I partially recall, an obscure Italian film based on THE SCORE. Westlake once said he was jokingly told by a friend in the late ’60s, “So far, Parker has been played by a white man [Lee Marvin], a Black man [Jim Brown], and a woman [Anna Karina]–I’d say the character lacks definition.” The white guys who have played the role since then (Robert Duvall! Peter Coyote! Jason Statham!) are equally random. I’d say THE OUTFIT is the best runner-up Parker film after POINT BLANK, but a distant second after POINT BLANK.
Fred, I love Westlake’s droll comment that Parker lacks “definition”! Too funny!
I’ve been wanting to see this for years but have never stumbled over a copy! I’d better look harder!
Bob, I’m sure your local Library has a copy of POINT BLANK.